Rest for the weary? Not yet

Tired legs, weary arms, mentally fatigued minds. All were evident in the latter stages of the Lakers' 13-day, seven-game trip that ended with a victory Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Most of the Lakers have a day off today, a few coming in to play with Andrew Bynum, but then they all get right back to work Friday for a home game against Houston. There's still plenty of work to be done with the playoffs around the corner and the threat of Boston and Orlando passing them by in the standings.

The Lakers (59-16) have seven games left in the regular season and are 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland, 2 1/2 games ahead of Boston and 3 1/2 games ahead of Orlando.

One day off isn't enough, though, for players such as Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher, who probably wouldn't mind taking a game or two off. Gasol played a routine 40-plus minutes Wednesday.

"At some point, we need to get a little rest, especially when the schedule's so tough," Gasol said.

Then there is Kobe Bryant, who's work ethic is legendary and doesn't see the need for a game off. He's played in all 75 games this season (after an Olympic summer) -- and that is with a bevy of injuries.

Bryant makes the Energizer Bunny look like a slacker.

"I don't worry about it," he said. "Lace them up and play. Don't think about resting or nothing like that. Just think about playing.

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